Local Stream- The Isinglass River

Education

Dover Middle School Outdoor Pursuit Group Enjoys a Day on the Cocheco River

Grownups can learn too.

Tying at the bench.

Looking for bugs.

Teaching others to tie.

Not just for boys!

Former program participant paying it forward

It was a great day on the river with the Dover Middle School
Outdoor Pursuit Group. The kids met after school, one a week for an hour and 45
min with John McKernan and Mark Seymour to learn to cast, tie knots, untie wind
knots and tie fishing flies.

On Sunday we met the kids and their parents in the Middle
School parking lot at 9:00AM for a day out on the Cocheco River.We had one alumnus from the program; Thomas is
now in the 10th grade.Not
only is Thomas a graduate of the Outdoor Pursuit Program he also attended the
TU Kids Camp in Pittsburg.Thanks for
coming and helping out.

We started our morning looking for and collecting bugs.
Later we tied flies based on what we found in the water.Lots of buggy looking flies resulted.They still need a lot of practice but as we
told them, “the fish don’t care as long as it looks like food.”

After lunch it was time for the kids to garb their gear and
head to the Cocheco River to put their new skills to use. After many casts one of the kids was able to
hook a fish.We explained to them that
this is fishing.Catching is just a
bonus to the time spent outdoors.

Thanks to Dover Middle School, Great Bay TU, and the
volunteers for making this a fun day. But most importantly we'd like to thank
the kids who worked all year to learn the skills they needed and the parents
for coming to meetings and driving the kids to these events. Now get out there
and fish!

Planting the seed and paying it forward is what we do.

Thanks again to all that helped out;

Great Bay TU; Equipment

Brian & Carrie Swienton; Guides and photographer

Brian and Liz St. Cyer; Guide and kid wrangler

Wendy Nixon; Photographer

Weeklies’ Pizza

And last but not least, Fran Meffin; Dover Middle School
Afterschool coordinator.

After School Programs

John McKernan with Great
Bay Trout Unlimited and Brian McGurty of St. Mary's Academy spent the afternoon
on a small section of the Bellamy River in Dover fly fishing as part of an after school program. The young boys also learned to
tie flies and brought them with them to "catch the big one"!
Wendy Nixon was also on hand to give a few casting instructions. The afternoon was part of a great learning experience applying the knowledge and skills taught after school on the river.